Hunger Games: Jerell
by AvanHelms
Summary: In the 54th Annual Hunger Games the Tributes engage in the first Star Crossed Romance that must end in tragedy. The events becoming the building blocks for the future. Slowly paced and character driven, attention is given to every character before their lives are put up for forfeit and only one will be bathed in untold riches.
1. Chapter 1

Part 1: Preparation

Chapter 1: Panem

Day 1

Killian opens his eyes to still see that woman smiling at him. Euphemia had picked his name out of the container and acted like bringing him on this train was a treat. He was incredibly tired as he looked away from the sun. He was a night owl so he spent most of his days sleeping. He supposed that being someone who preferred to hunt at night might come in handy.

He turns his head toward the girl beside him. Robin hadn't stopped shaking since she was chosen. She had to be carried on to the train after saving her goodbyes. Euphemia was very excited about having this girl being the next tribute of District 12 for the 54th Hunger Games. Her older brother had won only a few years prior.

"I'll go fetch your mentor; he should be ready to see you now." Euphemia smiles and stands up. "I'm going to miss this." They both look up at her unsure of exactly what she means. She turns away with them and walks away in small steps. She barely has any leg room in that tight dress skirt she wore.

"Hey." Killian says to Robin and softly touches her shoulder. She screams and scoots away so much she falls out of her chair. "Calm down!" She gets up and puts his hands up. She looks up at him with her terrified eyes, she'd been so zoned out she hadn't noticed she was on the train.

"What's your name?" Killian asked her. He already knew her name from the drawing but it was a way to relax her.

"Robin… Robin Abernathy…" She answers.

"Abernathy…" He hadn't had a chance to think about it before. That name sounded so familiar.

"Robin!" A male voice enters the room. Robin looks to her side then shoots to her feet.

"Haymitch!" She runs to him and embraces him.

"I'm so sorry…" He says to her. He never imagined she would have to go through that hell. "It's going to be okay… alright?" Haymitch rubs her shoulders and arms.

"Haymitch." Killian recognized him from 4 years ago. Killian was 12 years old so it was his first drawing. He remembered Haymitch being the first boy he had seen called with another male and female tribute. He remembered it being special because there were a higher amount of tributes. "I remember when you were called as a tribute…"

"So do I." He says and offers his hand. "What's your name?"

"Killian Everdeen." He shakes his hand.

"You leave anyone behind?" Haymitch asked.

"My little sister." Killian answered. He didn't feel the need to get specific by saying her name.

"This is all I've got right here…" Haymitch puts his arm around Robin. "You can imagine what kind of spot this puts me in…"

"An understandable situation… I never planned to win." He said. "If it means anything… I can do what I can to help keep your sister alive." He offers.

"You mean that?" He says with surprise.

"It's about time District 12 had another winner. I couldn't return home with my head held high knowing I had to walk over an innocent from our own home." He says.

Haymitch pats his sister on the back. "Why don't you go into the next room? You can get something to eat and calm your nerves." She nods her head and turns to go back then turns back and hugs Killian first.

"Thank you…"

"You're welcome." He says and rubs her back a bit. She pulls away and goes into the next room.

"Let me ask you something…" Haymitch walks up to him then gets in his face. "You don't think I'm a fool do you? I sure hope not. If you're serious then we can be good friends. But if I think for a second you're doing this to get close to my sister for an easy kill… You'd better hope you don't come out of there alive. Because if you do, I'll spend every waking moment and every last breathe I've got trying to hunt you down and tear your throat out. Got that?" He asked.

Killian stands staring back at him not saying a word. Haymitch turns his back and walks back to the next room. Killian follows after a few moments and sits at the table. The attendants were putting out food for each of them. It had been a very long time since Killian had seen real food. The real meal he had was at Thanksgiving the previously year where they found a deer that had died of starvation.

"I hear you're a pretty good shot." Haymitch says to Killian.

"Who says that?" He asked.

"I did…" Robin says. "I see you going out and hunting sometimes… You usually always come back with something so I assumed…"

"It's good to show off skills like that. You'll want to get your hands on a bow." He says.

"The only bow I trust is the one I left at home…" Killian says. "I left it for my sister but I doubt she'll use it. Maybe my future niece or nephew can use it." He jokes.

"You'll need to start trusting yourselves. When you're out there you will need to impress the sponsors. You are going to need to make some friends. They're the way you're going to get help out there. Medicine, water, or in some cases items that can be used as weapons."

"What should I show off?" Robin asked.

"Your personality." He says. "That includes your fear."

"How does that help?" Killian asked as he eats.

"Regardless of how sick and twisted those idiots in Panem are… they're still human. They see a scared and frightened girl it makes them like her…. They want to root for her as an underdog. They will be more open to helping her survive if they feel sorry for her."

"If I'm helping her out there that could hurt, right?" Killian asked.

"Exactly… We are going to play a big sister and little sister card for the two of you. We make up a phony story about how close the two of you are. So if or when you die Killian, they will want to see your last wish fulfilled… Get your little sister home safe."

"I get it…" Killian says. "You're pretty good at this."

"Maybe… I'd be more inclined to believe it if I had mentored a winner yet." He puts his hand over his sister's. "This time it's different…"

After a while they finally arrive with the loud cheers of people outside. "It's show time…" Haymitch says. Killian and Robin get up to exit the train. The door opens with the peacekeepers waiting for them to exit. Robin shakes as she looks at all of them. In her eyes they were all just psychos hounding for her death.

Killian looks back at Haymitch in the plane. As bold as it was it was a good move to get start now. He reaches over and takes Robin's hand and walks forward. He scanned the crowd to see pictures taken and look of heartwarming delight on the faces of some of them. This was really going to work after all.

Their first stop was to get cleaned. Killian had never felt so violated in his life. He preferred scrubbing himself was dirty water than he did being scrubbed and hosed down. He spent so much time in the forest that he heard the mentioning that it took twice as long to clean him. After they finished cleaning him the left him alone in a room alone.

"Everdeen." A man steps inside. "I'm your stylist, call me Keller."

"Call me, Killian." He says.

"You even have kill in your name, is it not fate?" He asked.

"There's no such thing." He says. "So… You came here to fix me. What's your plan?"

"Your mentor filled me in on your situation with that girl. That opens up a lot of doors… We're going to play on that." He says.

"How?" Killian asked. Keller leads him back to his group with Haymitch and Robin.

Meanwhile in the newsroom Esperanza Lockhart was preparing for her segment. She takes a seat next to her colleague Rifton. They check their microphones and sets.

"Have you brushed up your resume lately?" Rifton asked.

"Excuse me?" Esper asked.

"Rumor has it that President Snow is going to replace you."

"Why would he ever do that?" She asked.

"You're too sentimental; you make these games uncomfortable for some people to watch. No one wants to know why these kids leave behind or anything like that. This is a game."

"Why should I believe you?" She asked him turning in his directions.

"Look at the ratings of each hunger games since you started and how they drop after your social commentary." He says without looking in her direction. She takes a deep breath then looks forward.

The Districts begin down the line in the middle of a roaring crowd. District 1 and 2 were given the most praise immediately. Scott Brimm, age 17 and Valerie Jepsen, age 15 were in the front with a crown and tiara made of diamonds. They showed their solidarity with their rich counter parts of Panem.

District 2 was Cole Mitchell, age 18 and Hael Reigns, age 16. Cole had on an old fashioned white suit with a red tie and white fedora. He was known in his home as a man of high fashion and class even in the District of fabrics. Hael wore a black garment like a black witch. She had 2 live crows on her shoulders that crowed at in each direction. Cole and Hael both having been trained their whole lives for this weren't worried about their competition.

The lineup continued:

District 3: Douglas Rimley and Annabelle Ruth.

District 4: Jensen Keyes and Max Larson.

District 5: David Knightingale and Kim Josie.

District 6: Raphael Tatum and Eleanor Banks.

"Here comes District 7." Rifton says. "They come from the home of lumber Jacks and Jills."

"I don't think there's enough soap in all of Panem to clean up that body odor." Esper makes a joke.

"If that's true then we should send Districts 9 and 10 back right now!" Rifton laughs heartily. Esper forces herself to laugh with him.

District 7: Henry Walker and Becky Rhodes.

District 8: Kael Helmsley and Melissia Justice.

District 9: Daniel Kingsley and April Jennings.

District 10: Andrew Rivers and Gwen Hailey.

District 11: Mito Lucaris and Abigail Upton.

"At the end is District 12. The coal miners, unless they can go groundhog I don't think those skills will be useful." Esper says.

"What in the world is that?" Rifton gets up a bit to take a better look at the screen. Esper's jaw drops as well. At the back of the line Killian stands behind Robin. His arms having the wings of a mockingjay as slowly move down and surround Robin. Keller's idea was for him to look as her protector by putting her under his wings. For a moment Robin had forgotten about the people and laid back into his arms.

At the same time on podium President Snow was being contacted. "President Snow we have some urgent information for you." He continues to sit and waits for them to get it over with.

"The background checks on the competitors came back and we found something of great interest. It appears that someone in this year's games is a direct descendant of Jerell, the very last of his kin.

President Snow takes note of that and stands up. He walks up to the podium as District 12 finishes its ride down to the front. President Snow looks down upon them all.

"Tributes, welcome to the 54th Annual Hunger Games." He announces. The crowd cheers their approval. "We do this in remembrance of the Capitol's and my own generosity. 24 brave men and woman stand before me and last remaining will go down in history. The last of you remaining will be showered in riches beyond your wildest dreams."

The rest of the speech was a blur. He had made the same speech so many years in a row that after the first part many tributes stopped paying attention. They would instead turn their attention to the other tributes.

Haymitch sat in the back with a scotch in his hand. He had hearing this same tired speech. Now he was saying it to his sister. He was a fairly light drinker most of the year.

"You should get used to that." A familiar voice says to him as he sits.

"I should get used to what, Skylar?"

"Having a drink in your hand." He says and pours himself a glass. "If you see enough of your teams lose with no victories, you'll pound this down year around."

"Don't you have some puppies to drawn somewhere?" Haymitch asks and takes a sip.

"It's not Thursday." He laughs. "Your sister is in the lineup this year."

Haymitch grips his scotch in his hand then glares at Skylar. "What of it?"

"You should play nice. If you do that I'll be sure to let my mentees know to make her death slow and painless." He stands up. "If not then well… You saw what I did to my last opponent." He smiles and gulps down the rest of his scotch. He walks away leaving Haymitch there to ponder that.

Killian scanned his opponents. He saw at least two 12 year olds that seemed to be less afraid than Robin. He wasn't the only one surveying in secret. He saw a couple more heads move slightly. He knew the real competition was in the front. Districts 1 and 2 were going to be gunning for any and every one. There were many of occasions listed through history of them working together until the last few remained or until one betrayed the group.

He looks at District 1 and couldn't get a feed on them. They both had their attention on President Snow. There was no chance that he could get a good look from here and figured the same for District 2. He looks over and while Cole had his back turned, Hael did not. Hael caught eyes with Killian for a moment. Killian wasn't sure what was going to happen now.

It seemed certain that if District 1 or 2 caught you eyeing them down that they would probably start with you in the competition. They were notorious for using the skills and reputation to scare their opponents. He swallows down his dry throat. Hael's eyes stay on him for a moment before she smiles and turns back around not telling Cole or giving any signals that she showed aggression. Killian was more confused than ever now.

After it finished Haymitch met them at the hotel. Euphemia got them into the elevator and up to their rooms. "You're quite lucky. The tributes rooms are divided by floors so you get the penthouse. It's a lot different than life where you have to live under the ground, am I right?"

"You know coal miners don't live underground, right?" Haymitch asked.

"I do… now." She answers with a big smile and leads them inside. "This is your room."

Killian and Robin stop and stare in shock. They walk inside seeing the chrome covered walls and rugged floors. It was completely different than anything they were used to. They both get cleaned up and Killian goes into his room and falls down on his bed. He saw the city out to his left. It was big, beautiful and bright. He hated everything about it.

"Killian?" Robin says.

Killian turns her way. "What's up? Can't sleep?" He asked.

"No…" Robin steps inside slowly. "Would you mind if I laid down here with you? I'm sorry I just…"

"Don't want to be alone?" He asked. "I get it." He ushers her to come over. Robin steps over to the bed then lies on top of it before her head finds his arm.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it." He figures and decides to puts his arm around her neck to make her feel safe like she had before. After a few moments she closes her eyes and drifts to sleep. Haymitch returns to the penthouse and passes by the room and sees them together. Haymitch wasn't about to make a scene but now he trusted that boy even less. Killian looks down to see her sleeping then stares up at the ceiling thinking about their training to begin the next day. They had 2 long weeks ahead of them…

14 Days Until the Hunger Games Begins…

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	2. Chapter 2

Part 1: Preparation

Chapter 2: Training Room

Day 2

"The very best piece of advice that I can give you for this is to not go looking for trouble. Trust me when I say; plenty of trouble is going to find you." Haymitch explains to them. Haymitch leads Robin and Killian toward an elevator.

"It's not dangerous enough for us to all be training in such close quarters?" Killian asked.

"No one is allowed to fight inside the training room outside of some light sparring. Peacekeepers are stationed in the room with electric rods." Haymitch said. "What the two of you are going to want to do is to get some allies."

"Allies? I thought it was everyone for themselves." Robin said.

"It is. However in the beginning everyone just wants to survive and the best way to do it is in a group. Usually they all come to an agreement that until everyone else dies out that they will stay loyal."

"How often do they stay loyal?" Killian asked.

"Let's call it 50%." Haymitch answers honestly. "That's why the people you trust don't come from District ` or 2. You will want to stick to somewhere that's close to home."

"You want us to ally with a poorer district like 12." Killian puts the pieces together.

"9, 10 and 11 are your best bets for that." Haymitch said. They step into the elevator and head upward.

"What did you tell your sister?" Haymitch asked Killian at random.

"About what?"

"About coming here." He says.

"I told her I wasn't coming back…" Killian says. "I told her to be strong and be brave."

"Sometimes it really is best to be honest. In the Hunger Games there is no hope, only survival." Haymitch says as they reach the top. "This is where we part ways. Before you begin to be sure to walk by your opponents… Make a mental note of their abilities and skills."

"Got it." Killian steps forward. Robin nods her head about to walk into a room of people that she was sure one would be her killer. They weren't the last to arrive. It gave them time to adjust to how many people would be out there as they came in.

The first group they came upon was from District 4. Jensen and Max were preparing a line of string and reinforcing it. It was fair to figure that they would be fishing and staying around water to survive. Jensen gets down on the floor with his belly down and begins to survey their opponents.

Killian backs Robin up because he wasn't sure what he was planning to do. Jensen's eyes stop when he gets to Henry from District 7. Henry is about to toss an axe when Jensen lets it the hook on the string fly. He hooks the back of Henry's shirt and jerks back. Henry is jolted back at the same moment he throws it making him toss it only inches away from decapitating Becky also from District 7.

Henry gets to his feet and turns to see the hook reeling back in. Henry picks up another axe and starts that way. "You think you're real funny don't you?"

"A little bit." Jensen jokes right before Henry socks him in the mouth with a closed fist.

"Hey!" Killian runs in right before the peacekeepers begin that way. He grabs Jensen by his shirt and pushes him back a bit. "Don't get yourself into trouble; it'll only make it harder on you." Killian was tasked with making allies and the best way to start was by choosing sides. He had to admit between the choices Henry was the better call. He was definitely a hot head but Jensen was a dick.

The peacekeepers arrive but Henry had already backed up. They keep an eye on them but decide to stay back. "I owe you one." Henry says. "My name's Henry."

"Killian." Killian offers his hand and Henry takes it. "That's Robin." Robin stays back and shyly waves in that direction. "Don't take that personally."

"If I were that age I'd stay far away from everyone else too. In these so called 'games' a 12 year old has lived a full life."

Killian turns to see what Becky was doing. After having cooled off from almost being beheaded she was now with Kael from District 8. Becky had was carving something from wood and instructing him.

"What's going on there?" Killian asked.

"It's a trade of knowledge. Let's say you know something like a survival skill then it can be traded like a broker." Henry explains. "Do you know how to make a fire?" He asked.

"Yeah, I do." He says.

"More than half of the people here don't. You can trade for whatever you want with that kind of skill." He says. "You'll want to be careful with it though."

"Why?"

"The moment you teach someone else a skill then they can profit off of it as well. Then that's less people for you to trade with and the more skills people have the longer they will survive." Henry says.

"Why are you telling me this?" He said.

"Because I don't know how to make a fire and you don't know which kinds of fruits that grow on what kinds of trees and bushes are safe." Henry smiles.

"You've got a point." Killian says and walks over to some lumber. Henry sits on the other side of him. Killian gets to work on making the fire. Henry looks over at Robin who is focusing on find effective ways to hide.

"Are you serious about what you're doing?" He asked.

"Protecting Robin?" Killian asked.

"Yeah, are you really prepared to lay your life down for her if it comes down to just the two of you?" He asked. Killian is silent for a moment and keeps working on the fire.

He thinks back to the last time he saw his sister. She ran into the small room and embraced him in tears. "You can't go!"

"Hey, hey…" He holds on to her and strokes her hair back. "Listen you have to be strong and be brave…"

"You're not coming back are you?" She asked. Killian drops his head and takes a deep breath and then looks into her eyes. In the present Killian turns his head and looks back at Robin as he remembers the last words he said to his sister.

"I'll come back to you. I will win and I will do whatever it takes…"

Killian turns back to Henry. "I'll do whatever it takes." He says not making it clear what he specified to himself.

They both hear laughing on the other side of the room. They turn their attention toward Scott Brimm and Valerie Jepson from District 1. Scott has a glove on and tosses what appears to be a fireball. As the fireball gets the ground in the middle of the dummies it expands. Smaller ember balls come from it and set the rest on fire causing the sprinklers underneath to go off.

"What was that?" Killian asked.

"It was a lot simpler that you might think but it's a time consuming art… District 1 uses it as an ambush technique." He explains and begins drawing it in the dirt. "They find sticks, leaves, rocks and whatever they can use to make something stick. They wraps the rocks with the leaves then get them all stuck together and wrap leaves around it. One of them will carry it until they find a sleeping or unexpected group of at least 2 tributes."

"So they set the leaves on fire and it spreads to the other leaves. They literally have seconds to throw it or it won't work…" Killian thinks. "Sure it might burn them a little but for all the work it's really not practical…"

"That's because the main idea is to burn them to get them off the guard and attack. If they were to really get away how far do you think they're getting with burns?" He asked.

"You've got a point…" Killian says.

"I'm surprised you don't know more about this yourself…" He says.

"Why would I know?"

"The technique was originated by a Tribute from District 12." Henry says. Killian was completely caught off guard. He didn't about that for a moment. He supposed the district that had the most luxury couldn't have thought of such a down and dirty technique.

Becky makes her way over to them and takes a seat. "I see you're getting friendly, aren't you 12?" She asked.

"It's all about survival; it's good to have friends." Killian says.

"You're not wrong especially if you can teach us to make a fire." She says as she sees the flame come up from the smoke.

"What's the story with that guy?" Killian asks about Kael.

"Kael Helmsley, district 8. He's always got a big smile on his face and he's a huge momma's boy." She says.

"That sounds like the exact opposite qualities you want to make known about yourself." He says.

"All I know is that he has this almost aggravating sense of child-like wonder. He's always going on about what his mother has taught him and crap like that. He honestly thinks that if he could win he could try to change the capitol from the inside."

"Can victors live in Panem?" Killian asked.

"I've never heard of one asking but I don't see why not… The winner is going to be rich." Henry says.

"What did you trade for?" Killian asked.

"He wanted me to show him how to carve from a tree properly." She answers.

"In exchange for?"

Becky takes out a cloth with had heavy stiches in it. "He doesn't appear too good with fabrics judging from where he's from." Henry says.

"He wasn't teaching me that, I know how to sew my own garments. He was reaching me how to stitch in case of deep wounds." Becks answers.

"That sounds like a useful skill…" Killian says.

"I guess you'll have to pick then… would you rather know what food is safe or how to fix yourself or her up?" Henry asked.

Killian knew that was going to a tough choice. They were going to need to eat in order to stay alive. However if one of them were to get injured the stitches would come in handy. She would need nutrition to keep up and chances are if someone was going to get hurt it would be him. He was stuck at a cross roads that would undoubtedly mean choosing him or her.

"You don't have to choose now." Becky says. "It's only day 1 of our training, we have 12 days before our final skills assessment before the games. Just let us know when you figure out which one you want."

"Or if you figure out something else worth trading for that is as useful as starting a fire." Henry says which was incredibly unlikely.

"Thanks." Killian gets back up to his feet and walks back over to Robin to see how she was doing. "How are you holding up?" He asked.

"I'm okay… I've been experimenting." She says and shows him the paint she made on her arm.

"What's that for?"

"Camouflage." She lies down on the ground and puts her arm over the dirt. "I don't know how to climb trees so it will be easier to lie down."

"Good thinking." Killian debates with himself whether to tell her about the trading deal or not. He was a hunter so he was experienced with getting his own food. Unfortunately the best he could usually do was a bird and it would only be enough for one of them.

"I'm going to teach you how to hunt." Killian says to Robin. "If anything happens to me you'll need to figure out how to get your own food without depending on the land. It's unpredictable."

"Alright." Robin agrees. Killian gets to work first on showing her what he knows about which trees make the best fires. The outskirts of District 12 didn't have many fruits so he wouldn't know which were okay. He gets to showing Robin how to make a fire first.

"What's the first thing that usually happens when someone makes a fire in the games?" Killian asked her.

"They usually die…"

"Do you know why that is?" He asked.

"The signal smoke?"

"Close, it's the light from the flames. He begins to build a small camp made of objects surrounding them around the fire. "This will close up the light and turn it into more like a fireplace. The fire will only come out of one direction and so will the light, there's a better chance it won't lead someone to us."

"I get it." Robin understands.

"Try making a fire by yourself." He says and hands her the stick. Robin gets to work on it. "Don't be afraid to add a little pressure and make your way down as you rub." He tells her.

The electronic doors open once again for the next group to enter. Killian needed to focus on their competition. He and a few others from sheer curiosity look. Entering the training room was none other than the tributes from District 2. They walked in side by side with a similar level of intensity that sent waves through the room.

Cole Mitchell was one of the 3 oldest tributes this year at age 18. He certainly groomed himself for an occasion that was far less violent. He had a dashing smile from ear to ear and his hair slicked back. If his arrogance were water all of the other tributes would have drawn the moment he stepped foot inside.

The only thing Haymitch told them about Cole is that he was a part of the Mitchell Family curse. He wouldn't go into any specific details. However for someone who appeared to be cursed he seemed to have no fear. He was confident that he would be slitting the throats of everyone in the room including his fellow District 2 tribute with a smile.

Next to Cole was the female tribute from District 2, Hael Reigns. When it came to her reputation her beauty was only second to her deadly proficiency. He had gotten even less information about Hael when he asked Haymitch about District 2. Her parentage was a mystery even to the Capitol.

Killian could only think back to their brief encounter. She had her eyes on him but didn't make a jester. He stared at her this time; he tried to tell himself that it was to test it again. They walk by each group slowly eyeing down each of the tributes.

Cole catches eyes with Killian first. His eyes widen and he grins with his teeth showing. It was like he had found his supper. Killian felt too uncomfortable to try staring him down and turns away from him. Cole chuckles and looks back forward.

Killian looks back up and this time he catches eyes with Hael once again. This time her expression doesn't change. It was cold and confident. He wasn't even on her level in any sense of the analogy. She looks back forward and they make their way over to the District 1 tributes.

"Killian?" Robin asked.

"Yeah?" He says still looking in her direction.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah." He turns back to Robin. "Why?"

"I looked like that once and my brother told me I looked 'smitten.'" She said. Killian pauses at the mere thought. That was the last thing he wanted or needed. He kept replaying their first encounter in his head. It was only a smile. He could have easily misread the kind of smile it was. The way she looked passed him as another tribute could easily mean he did.

He was slowly convincing himself of that. He watched Robin make the flame. He then signals for her to use something to fan the flames to make it bigger. While she follows his instructions his wandering eyes turn back toward the Career Tributes once again. At the same time he turns his head, Hael had turned back in his direction for a moment. This time as their eyes meet there was no emotion on either of their faces.

Somehow there was more going on in that moment that neither of them yet understood. As for now he needed to make new allies. The next reasonable ally was Kael Helmsley from District 8.

13 Days Until the Hunger Games Begins…

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